Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Diecast Collector

News&Events NEW TOOLING IN DEVELOPMENT FROM CORGI Here’s a round-up of the latest hobby news and events DESPITE the fact that many of Corgi’s new model tooling projects are not marked as available for pre-order with the announcement of this first January to April 2022 range (see pages 22 to 26), they still underpin another significant year of investment in the Corgi range across the board. In line with the company’s new range format, they will take their place in the range once they have advanced a little further and Corgi announces more information. The Aviation Archive range can boast the fact that no fewer than three exciting new tooling projects are already underway, each one with a huge part to play in the ongoing Corgi story. In the traditional…

NEW FROM MODEL BUSES CREATIONS MODEL Buses Collection & Iwan’s Bus Bits announce the first three releases under the Model Buses Creations (MBC) brand. The stated aim of MBC, a partnership between Mark Oakley of Model Buses Collection and Iwan Jones of Iwan’s Bus Bits, is to create highly-detailed model buses in miniature for collectors and enthusiasts across the UK and around the world. The first release is a Britbus Leyland/Volvo Olympian, available for the first time in kit form, with the added option to choose either early Leyland or late Volvo versions, with parts for both included. Also included will be a set of waterslide transfers to add the finishing touches to your completed model in the livery of your choice. The model will be limited to 100 standard…

New Models GO WILD! TREAT YOURSELF TO A NEW MODEL BUICK FROM THE NB CENTER COLLECTION 1/43 scale BROOKLIN MODELS 1967 Buick Wildcat 4-Door Hardtop PRICE: £233.00 REF: NBC208 www.brooklinmodels.com BUICK’S Wildcat first appeared as a fibreglass concept car in 1953. This was quickly followed by the Wildcat II concept in 1954. The Wildcat name would go on to appear on many Buick concept cars for decades to come. The Buick Wildcat in production form was a full-size automobile that debuted in 1962 and remained in production through the 1970 model year. The 1967 Wildcats debuted on September 29, 1966, and remained the mid priced full-size car with the sporty features. The body was shared with the mid-level LeSabre series of cars, but the Wildcat got its own trim and…

NEW MODEL SPOTLIGHT Lightweights Back in January and July 2021, Stephen Paul Hardy reviewed the latest releases in GT Sprit’s growing 1/18 scale documentation of the Porsche 911 story. It’s time for an update… In Racing Tales (January 2021 issue), I looked in detail at GT Spirit’s then recently-released Carrera RS 3.6 Club Sport (GT060) and its must-have display companion, the 911 2.8 RSR Street (GT106). Both had their roots in Porsche’s longstanding interest in the development of lightened versions based on series production models intended, specifically, for motorsport use that dates right back to the early 1950s. So now we have two more recent releases from GT Spirit that add a lot more weight (no pun intended) to that coverage of the production history of the 911 lightweights. PORSCHE…

2022 MODEL ANNOUNCEMENTS New from Corgi for 2022 Corgi’s own diecast blog specialist, Michael Clegg, details all the highlights from the company’s new range catalogue. It has become something of an early year tradition for Corgi fans that our return to work following the Christmas holiday season is eased somewhat by the knowledge that the latest model range will be unveiled just days into the New Year. This year, that date was 10th January, however, this year, things were a little bit different. Our on-line Christmas advent activities gave prior notification of our range frequency changes for 2022, but if you didn’t see those then it might come as something of a surprise, so we are going to take this opportunity to position things from our perspective. We felt these…

CLASSIC CARS Fiat 130 Coupé Kevin Brock celebrates five decades since the launch of this classic Italian beauty. Watching an episode of Salvage Hunters Classic Cars on television recently, featuring the restoration of a Fiat 130 Coupé, brought two things to mind. One was the fact that it has just celebrated its 50th birthday, the other was the models I have of it in my collection. Apart from a couple of very hard to find resin models from small firms, there are really only two diecast options which are easily obtainable, Guisval’s offering from the 1970s and Starline’s from about ten years ago. Fiat launched the 130 Coupé at the Geneva show, in March 1971, as a sporty alternative to its rather dowdy, range-topping luxury 4-door 130 Saloon, which had…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – REXTOYS PART 2 More Royal miniatures Mike Pigott concludes his series on this quality Swiss diecast range, as we look at the last models made by Rextoys, as well as the models that were proposed but never produced. In our previous issue, we looked at Rextoys, a company founded in 1989 by Count Giansanto Coluzzi of Swizerland. Rextoys were high quality models of prestigious cars that had not been previously reproduced. The first model in the range was the luxurious Cadillac Sixteen, which was produced in various different body styles. This was followed by the Chrysler Airflow, which was only available as a four-door saloon. These early Rextoys were made in Portugal by the manufacturer of Vitesse models. MADE IN FRANCE After a few years, Count…

TV & FILM Knock on wood Paul Brent Adams finds a ‘wooden’ model on a diecast hunt It might look like carved wood, but this recent Hot Wheels model is actually a normal die-cast. It certainly caught my eye on a recent model hunt, and I snapped it up. So what is the story behind this strange little fellow? Pixar (now owned by Disney) has been making computer animated movies since 1995 – Toy Story being its first feature film. A delivery truck, from the fictional Pizza Planet chain, appears in the movie - and it has made at least a cameo appearance in most Pixar movies ever since. It was even seen in Brave (2012), despite the fact that the film is set in medieval Scotland. The truck appears…

SIZE MATTERS – PART 29 Does it actually matter? Brian Salter continues his series examining the origins of scales used. Well, this is nearly the end of Size Matters. Himself in charge who rather unwisely once said “run it until we run out of ideas” has allowed this final dip into the photo file. Actually more a case of use up a few of the fun images that did not quite make it first time round for whatever reason. This is very much a few personal choices based around scale, of course. I’ve never been an avid collector by brand of model or marque of vehicle, but do have a soft spot for bringing together contemporary and compatible items from different sources. So the first thing to do here is…

MSMC CHRISTMAS MODEL FOLLOWING a long-tradition, the Maidenhead Static Model Club again produced a new model for its members for Christmas 2021. The chosen model was an Austin Seven Mini based on the Spot-on model. It is finished in blue with a white roof, glazing and a white interior. As it has been for everyone, this has been a difficult and unusual year, but the club has managed to continue with committee meetings and, more recently, small gatherings and the annual fish and chip supper, plus the Christmas dinner. Let us hope that 2022 improves and we can get back to proper club nights and collecting which is what the club is all about. To find out more about the club, visit its official website at www.windsortoyfair.co.uk.…

News & Events N.A.B.C.C. CLUB MODEL ISSUED THE first exclusive model for the recently-formed club for collectors of Brooklin Models, the North American Brooklin Collectors’ Club (N.A.B.C.C.) has been released. It is the 1956 Buick Century Convertible, in authentic Dover White / Seminole Red, with both top-up and top-down options included, and is a limited production of 130 examples. Beautifully finished and detailed, it is a spectacular first club special. Suggestions for the 2022 model are currently being considered. 2022 model are currently being considered. The club is currently administered online, mostly through Facebook, as part of the American O-Gauge (railway) Forum at https://o-gaugeforum.com, then select “Main North American Brooklin Collectors’ Club Board”. Members from the UK and Europe are welcome, and for more details, contact either the UK ambassador,…

EVER WONDERED HOW THE C 111 PROGRAMME BEGAN? AUTOCULT PROVIDES THE ANSWER 1/43 scale AUTOCULT 1969 Mercedes-Benz C 101 PRICE: £103.99 REF: 06049 www.ayrey.co.uk THE story begins in 1961. At the management level of Mercedes-Benz, the new engine concept of the rotary piston engine was coming more and more to the fore. Ultimately, Mercedes Benz decided to conclude a license agreement with Felix Wankel that allowed the use of his engine. Parallel to the research and development of the rotating combustion engine, the first thoughts came to fruition internally as to which cars, labelled with the star, should be equipped with the Wankel engine in the future. Although the Mercedes technicians mastered a number of technical hurdles and developed the concept well, they did not succeed in handling the major…

NEW MODEL SPOTLIGHT Powerful pony In the August 2021 issue, Stephen Paul Hardy reviewed some of Solido’s contemporary American muscle cars. Now he turns to one of GT Spirit’s latest takes on the theme. Unboxing GT Spirit’s recently-released 1/18 resincast Mach 1 (GT 351) reveals the model finished in sumptuous, flawless deep red paintwork. Authentically-detailed, it features trim that pays homage to the original 1969 Mustang Mach 1. Externally, this includes the black bonnet centre panel, side lines and Mach 1 badging, whilst internally includes the immediately noticeable spherical ‘ivory’ gearshift knob. At the tail end, the two sets of large diameter, chrome-trimmed twin exhaust pipes are a reminder that the current Mach 1 is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, delivering 454bhp, enabling a declared top speed of…

CLASSIC CARS Peugeot 404 David Lynn partakes of some vintage French style. Peugeot produces some fairly bland car ranges today, although it is beginning to recover some individuality after two decades of design mediocrity. The corporate giant is also responsible for Citroën and the more recently acquired European arms of General Motor’s Vauxhall and Opel brands. This has submerged its previous reputation, earnt during the second half of the 20th century, as a consistently innovative creator of several ranges of well-regarded and desirable cars. Previous articles on these pages have covered the achingly beautiful Pininfarina-styled 504 coupé and convertible and the focus now is the earlier 404 range that, during the 1960s, consolidated Peugeot’s transition into the dynamic innovator it became for the rest of the century. Following World war…

PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES Tomica buses Alex Crawford gets on board with Tomica’s Limited Vintage series. Most collectors will be familiar with Tomica, launched in 1970 by Eijiro Tomiyama’s Tomy Kogyo company of Japan on the wave of Matchbox and Hot Wheels’ mid-century international success. Similar to earlier Matchbox cars, in the sense that models were replicas of often mundane street vehicles, the original Tomica range would go from offering domestic Japanese cars to the international ‘pocket cars’ series in 1976, featuring now very desirable American and European toy cars to expand global reach. Tomica’s history in international markets has been patchy, but in its homeland success continued. The company saw the opportunity for an adult-oriented series and launched its first Tomica Limited Vintage (TLV) models in 2004, based on Japanese…

FROM THE EDITOR’S COLLECTION Premium Toy Story Never lost for things to talk about, Rick Wilson shares another selection from his collection. Being a parent to two young children in the 1990s meant that I was fully exposed to the delights of the original Disney/Pixar Toy Story movie. Many, many times over. And being an enthusiastic Hot Wheels collector, I quickly snapped up the two recent, excellent Hot Wheels Premium releases of the film’s two star cars. Hot Wheels Premium models might be a few pounds more expensive than the mainstream range that you’ll find in most supermarkets, but they are certainly worth the extra cash as the detail and quality is much greater. Getting the special “Real Riders” sub-branding, the packaging also bears reference to the model being “METAL/METAL”,…

TOP VINTAGE MODEL Shell–BP fuel tanker DTCA Chairman, Michael Driver, picks another vintage favourite by Dinky. The early tankers were lorries carrying large drums for the fuel. Today, there are purpose-built tankers with specialised bodies and tanks delivering petrol and diesel to garages and fuel depots. The Dinky Toys range included a number of diecast tankers and the Dinky Supertoys series had the famous Foden tankers with petrol advertising on the tinplate tank bodies. In the 1960s, a more modern tanker joined the Dinky Supertoys range as the Shell-BP Fuel Tanker (No 944) in July 1963. This used the chassis and cab from the Leyland Octopus Wagon (No 934), but was fitted with a plastic tank screwed to the chassis. The Meccano Magazine of that month’s advert says “In real…

ebay WATCH Keep up with big wins on this popular online auction website - we choose three outstanding performers each month. DATE: 4th January 2022 TITLE: James Bond Corgi limited edition attache case with 8 chrome cars SOLD FOR: £186.50 BIDS: 16 James Bond 007 eight car limited edition chrome collection in an attache case. The combination locks are in perfect working order and currently set at 007. Some of the cars have moving parts and weapons which are still sealed in their bags. Cars in mint condition and only taken out of the case to take these photographs. Attache case in good condition, although there is a slight dent on the top. Comes with a set of eight cards with information of each car and film. DATE: 17th January…

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Caravan by Jouets Ador Andrew Ralston prepares to go on holiday in France. Plenty of diff erent methods of motorising model cars have been tried. Clockwork motors were the first to catch on, and these were followed in turn by electrically-driven cars, with the batteries kept in a hand-held control box. However, these methods were best suited to tinplate and, later, plastic cars. Motorising a Dinky-sized diecast is quite another matter, the two main problems being the weight or the toy in relation to its dimensions, and the difficulty of fitting a power unit inside such a small body shell. But some manufacturers did manage it, perhaps the most successful being Prämeta of Germany, with a small series of heavy cast models with powerful clockwork motors…

April 2022 Issue 294 NEXT MONTH 2022 model range announcements It’s toy fair season, so we’ll bring you the pick of the crop and news of the 2022 releases from the leading manufacturers PLUS… Porsche winners at the Daytona 24 Hours Lone Star Ford Transit Size Matters part 30 Desert Island Diecasts All the latest news April issue on sale 1st March or download the digital edition 7 DAYS EARLIER on 22nd February at www.pocketmags.com/diecast-collector…

CORGI NO 261 RETOOLED AND AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE CORGI MODEL CLUB WORKING closely with the production team at Hornby, the Corgi Model Club has completely re-tooled the iconic original model, from the ground up. This is something the club does for all its models, of course, but this one has reportedly been by far the most challenging yet. A faithful recreation of the original, with all the working features of course, the model is much closer replication than the recent Corgi mainstream release. It comes packaged in a perfectly reproduced box and is accompanied by the same accessories as the 1960s release. The model has been lovingly re-tooled and is the next exciting release in the Corgi Model Club’s impressive line up. The first examples will be with early…

ANOTHER SWEDISH BEAUTY FROM DNA COLLECTIBLES DNA COLLECTIBLES has announced the opening of pre-orders for its 1/18 scale resincast model of Volvo’s 244 Turbo saloon. It will simultaneously be produced in four colourways, all as limited editions. The Volvo 240 series was produced by the Swedish automaker between 1974 and 1993, over four different generations, and the Volvo 244 Turbo belongs to the third of these. The 240 series was designed in three model styles - saloon (244), estaten (245), and coupé (242). The trend at that time was to fit a turbo to easily boost the performance of the cars, and this 4-cylinder, 2.1-litre Volvo 244 Turbo featured a Garrett turbocharger, giving an output of 155 hp. Priced at £166.99 each, DNA’s 1/18 scale Volvo 244 Turbo will be…

New Models WHAT’S new Our team of experts take a look at this month’s model releases, including fine handbuilt replicas, scale construction and the latest in farm models. 7 BUMPER PAGES! COULD CORGI’S NEWLY-TOOLED AIRCRAFT CARRIER BE THE SAIL OF THE CENTURY? 1/1250 scale CORGI HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier PRICE: £62.99 REF NO: CC75000 www.corgi.co.uk DATING back to 1999, when companies were first invited to tender, these hugely impressive vessels have been a long time coming, as has Corgi’s model - it’s been worth the wait though. On both counts. Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are the largest and most advanced warships ever built for the Royal Navy. The first to be commissioned, this impressive vessel is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft and boasts state-of-the-art weaponry…

SCHUCO’S SMALL-SCALE RACING TRANSPORTER WINS IT FOR ME 1/64 scale SCHUCO Mercedes-Benz O317 Renntransporter “Porsche” PRICE: £41.99 REF: 45 202 6100 www.ayrey.co.uk MY relationship with anything to do with historic motorsport from the 1960s has been well-documented amongst these pages, but when it comes to Porsche, I tend to lose all self control. When the company upped its game considerably in the late-'60s, it commissioned three of these wonderful vehicles to transport its beautiful racing sports cars to and from European circuits. Using a Mercedes-Benz O317 high-floor bus chassis – chosen for the structural integrity of its design and self-supporting construction – one at a time, each of the three was passed to Robert Schenk, whose bodywork company built them up. They were a huge success and were seen around…

Sharp Focus OttOmobile’s Ford brand collection is growing steadily. Its latest addition is an absolute gem, as Stephen Paul Hardy finds out. OttOmobile’s recently released Ford Focus Mk.2 RS (OT381) is an absolute stunner, and a very sharp example of just how charismatic 1/18 scale resincast scale models can be. Now into its fourth generation, after being introduced in 1998 as a replacement for the Escort series, Ford intended the Focus to be a universal ‘worldwide’ model. As a result it was, in many respects, a rather ubiquitous, amorphous, design. It is therefore pleasantly surprising just how attractive this model is. It helps, of course, that the subject is the upmarket RS version Focus, the specification of which lifted the car significantly above the far more mundane family shopping versions.…

CLASSIC CARS Remembering Rovers John Tailby takes a drive down Memory Lane, guided by his models of the marque. The last Rover I had was a 2001 vintage 75, which I owned for over 10 years until 2019. Major MOT failure plus other engine faults brought it to the end of the road after 17 years and 140,000 miles. I was a member of the Rover 75 and MG ZT Owners Club. When I joined, the club looked back in its records and found that my car, a 2-litre CDT Club SE model, was built on the 23/08/2001 in Copper Leaf Red with Ash Grey upholstery. On that day, 192 cars were made and mine was the 73rd off the production line. Over time, I have collected models of all…

LESSER-KNOWN MARQUES French fancy Rick Wilson came across an interesting sports car, whilst at Le Mans in 2017, investigated more, found an Altaya 1/43 scale partwork release, and then OttOmobile announced a stunning 1/18 model in 2021. I like to think of myself as fairly knowledgable when it comes to older cars. But when I was taking a stroll around a special event in the village of Arnage, near Le Mans, on the rest day before the 2017 running of the famous 24 Hours, I spotted a rather attractive little sports car that I’d never seen before. In fact it wasn’t just one, there were five of these fanciful little beauties. I had my laptop with me back at the campsite, so when I returned, I did a little research…

RALLYE MONTE-CARLO WINNERS – PART 2 Entering the modern age The best rally in the world became of age in the nineties and lost none of its fame as a result. Francisco Mota brings the story up to the present day, completing his 1/43 scale model collection. Photos: João Carlos Oliveira Last month we started a 1/43 scale model collection of all the Rallye Monte-Carlo winners, since the World Rally Championship started, in 1973. All the most important rally cars that make up the WRC’s history have won the Monte-Carlo, as we saw. From the legendary Alpine A110 to the iconic Lancia HF Stratos, Fiat 131 Abarth, Porsche 911, Renault 5 Turbo, Audi Quattro, Peugeot 205 T16 and all the Lancia Delta HF generations won the most famous rally in…

COLLECTING BY NUMBERS Superfast 1969-1982 Rick Wilson charts the evolution of the Matchbox Superfast range during the Lesney years, from 1969 to 1982. Number 20 is one of the most interesting numbers in terms of the Lesney Superfast years, despite it comprising only two castings. The first 1969 catalogue had Chevrolet Impala Taxi in the number 20 slot, but a second catalogue was issued, partway through the year, announcing the new Superfast range. Lamborghini Marzal was one of the very first batch of three to hit the shops, and was in fact the very first Superfast that I bought, aged 5. Replaced in 1975 by Police Patrol, this then outlived the Lesney years and continued way beyond LAMBORGHINI MARZAL Catalogue: 1969 (2nd)-74 Box Styles: F, G, H, I The original…

VINTAGE ADVERTISING Pulling power Rick Wilson remembers a pair of eye-catching adverts that helped get him hooked on Superfasts, over 50 years ago. In 1969, when the Superfast range was launched by Matchbox, I was just five years old. Any impressionable youngster would surely have fallen for the same temptation that I did. The appeal of those early castings was made all the more irresistable by the advertising bombardment within the pages of my favourite comics. The first three releases to sport the new, snazzy wheelsets – No 56 BMC Pininfarina, No 5 Lotus Europa and No 20 Lamborghini Marzal – were all beautifully made, with opening doors on two of them (the look of the Marzal was enough on its own in my eyes), so resistance was useless. Just…

THE LAST WORD Abandoning Edward the Bear Brian Gower confronts a harrowing past experience. I am ashamed to tell you this. I don’t even like thinking about it. Knowing that we all drop friends, forget past kindnesses and behave carelessly, doesn’t help. I could have done better. It was a blue-sky-and-blissful summer morning when I pulled out of our side entrance in my newly-oiled maroon pedal-car, looking forward to a cruise around the houses. The sun had warmed both seat and steering-wheel, and the bonnet shone. Unusually, I had a passenger. Edward Bear was almost as big as I was, so could sit beside me very sensibly without sliding around on his furry bottom. I had covered a hundred yards of pavement without mowing down the milkman, despite several chances,…